Casing head and blow-out preventer



April 1935- A. J. PENICK El AL 1,997,152

CASING HEAD AND BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed June 26, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1April 9, 1935. A. J. PENICK ET AL CASING HEAD AND BLOW-OUT PREVENTERFiled June 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE oAsnwGHEAD AND Brow-our PBEVENTEB Arthur J. Penick and Kirby T. Penick,Houston, Tex.

Application June 26, 1933, SerialNo. 677,656

Claims. (01.286-16) This invention relates to a combination casing saidflared portion the casing head has an i anhead and blowout preventer.nular external groove 6.

An object of the invention is to provide ap- There is a packing unit, orassembly, formed paratus of the character described particularly o llatco f S g indicated 5 adapted for use in carrying out drillingoperaerally in Figure 1 by the numerals 1, 1. Each 5 tions to prevent ablowout of gas under pressure s gm s OOmPOSed Of an areliate meta-1hc inthe well, where gas, under pressure, is present anchor 8 and an arcuatepacking 9 secured to the in suflicient quantities to cause a blowout andunderside of said anchor. The anchors 8 are is also useful when it isdesired to maintain the hinged together at one side by means of a hinge10 drilling fluid, or other fluid,'in the well, under plate I 0 whoseends are fitted into slots II at 10 pressure. adjacent ends of saidanchors and pinned therein Another object is to provide a novel type orby the P s packing unit adapted to fit within the casing At the oppositeside of the packing unit there head to completely close the spacebetween the is a latch l3, hooklike in form, one end of which drill stemor other inner pipe and the casing head is pivoted in a slot ll in oneof said anchors and 15 to prevent the escape of fluid from the well.whose hooked end is adapted to engage a pin l5 The invention alsocomprehendsa'packing unit e e ding ugh the Slot is o the adjacent whichis adapted to be easily and quickly set in end of the other anchor. Saidhook is mainposition within the casing head about the inner tained insaid engaging position by means of a pipe and secured therein withoutdanger to the flat spring H which operates against said latch. 20workmen. The packing unit is so shaped that when latched The inventionalso includes novel means for u d th dr ll te other inner P it securingthe packing unit in place in the casing will completely surround saidinner pipe and the head which may be readily released when it is outersurface of the packing 9 is tapered to 0 desired to withdraw the packingunit and temo to h Shape Of and t0 fi closely within 26 porarilydispense with its use. the seat 3.

With the above and other objects in view, the ded within the p c 9 ofeac s invention has particular relation to certain novel ment there is arigid reinforcing member i8 P features of construction, operation, andarrangeerably form d of metal and upstanding from s 30 ment of parts, anexample of which is given in reinforcing me are the anchor rods I9 30this specification and illustrated in the accom- Which extend p throughthe chor 8 above and panying drawings, wherein: whose upper ends arethreaded to receive the Figure 1 shows a top plan view of the completenuts 0 whereby the packing y be a tained apparatus. in place. In casethe packing should become Figure 2 shows a side view partly in section.worn so as not to form a tight fit within the seat 35 Figure 3 shows aside view partly in section, 3 the nu s 0 may be tightened p to draw 1taken on the line 33 of Figure 1. the reinforcing members l8 to thuseffect the Figure 4 shows a plan view showing the packexp s of the coesponding packing 9 so that ing unit released, and a tight fit will besecured between said packing 40 Figure 5 shows a side view partly insection and seat 3. The segments 1 have the handles 2| 40 of theresilient packing employed and the means by means of which the packingunit may be for maintaining the same assembled with the handled.

complete packing unit, and The upper end of the anchors 8 of the packingFigure 6 shows a fragmentary sectional view unit is reduced forming anannular external of a modified form thereof. shoulder 22 all the wayaround said unit and be- 45 In the drawings the numeral I designates aneath said shoulder each anchor 8 has an annular well casing having thecasing head 2 secured to tapering face 23 shaped to conform to thecontour the upper end thereof, and provided with an inof and to fltclosely into the flared upper end 5 side downwardly tapering .seat 3.The casing of the seat-3.

head has a lateral tapped hole 4 beneath said The casing head 2willusually be located be- 5f seat for the connection of a pipe theretothrough neath the derrick floor and when, for any reawh-ich the fluid inthe Well may be led off or son, it may be desired to seat the packingunit in through which fluid under pressure may be forced the casing headthe segments of the packing unit into the well as desired. At its upperend the may be swung open and then closed around the seat 3 is outwardlyflared as at 5 and beneath inner pipe it above the derrick floor andlatched 55 and the inner pipe then lowered and the packing unit will becarried downwardly into the casing head and seated therein with thepacking seated securely in the seat 3 and completely closing the spacebetween the inner pipe l8 and the casing head and with the tapering face23 seated on the flared portion 5 of the seat 3.

Novel means for securing the packing unit in place in a casing head andfor releasing the same for withdrawal have been provided and which willnow be described:The securing means referred to comprises the arcuateclamps 24, 24 which are hinged together at one side by the hinge pin 25,said hinge pin passing also through the laterally extending ear 26formed integrally with the'casing head 2 whereby the clamps 24, 24 aresupported on, and hingedly connected to, the casing head. I The pin issecured in place by a suitable cotter key 21.

At their other ends the clamps 24 have the outwardly turned grips orhandles 28, 28 which are connected by means of a pull spring 29. Thispull spring has its ends secured to the respective grips 28 by means ofthe clamp bolts 30. Between the grips 28 the clamp members 24 have theintermeshing lugs 3| having the pin bearings 32 which register when theclamps are secured around the packing unit andthrough which a pin 33 maybe inserted to hold the clamps in securing position. This pin 33 may besecured against loss by means of a cable or other flexible tie member34.

As more clearly shown in Figure 3 each clamp member 24 has an insidegroove 35, providing the lower and upper inside arcuate shoulders 36,31, the former of which is engageable underneath the external annularshoulder 38 on the casing head 2 and the latter of which is engageableover the external annular shoulder 22 of the corresponding anchor 8whereby the packing unit will be secured in place in the casing head.

The clamps 24, 24 are flared upwardly as at 39 and when the packing unitis fastened around the pipe I8 and said pipe is lowered as hereinaboveexplained said packing unit will enter between the clamps 24, and thetapering faces 23 will contact with the correspondingly tapered portions39 of said clamps and the packing unit will be guided into the casinghead and the clamps 24 will be spread apart, the spring 29 yielding topermit this, and when the shoulders 22 of the packing unit clear theshoulders 31 of the clamps 24, said clamps will be drawn together by thespring 29 causing the shoulders 31 to engage over the shoulders 22 asshown in Figure 3 whereby the packing unit will be locked in place andthe pin 33 may then be inserted through the bearings 32 to secure saidclamps against spreading whereby the packing unit will be securelymaintained in place against danger of displacement by the internal wellpressure.

It should be noted that the shoulders 31 engage over the shoulders 22 ofa packing unit, at diametrically opposite sides of said unit only, asmore clearly shown in Figure 1, that is to say at opposing pointsapproximately midway between the hinged ends of the clamp and theopposite ends thereof so that when it is desired to release the packingunit the pin 32 may be withdrawn and the grips 28 pulled apart until theshoulders 22 are cleared by the shoulders 31 and into the position moreclearly illustrated in Figure 4.

If desired the lower end of the packings of said packing unit may beequipped with arcuate guides 40 which may be suitably secured to saidpacking as shown in Figure 6 and whose outer sides have the inwardlytapering faces 41 whereby the packing unit may be guided into the casingwithout injuryto the packing.

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be apreferred form of the invention, by way of illustration only, while thebroad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What we claim is:-

l. The combination with a casing head shaped to receive an inner pipeand having an inside seat, of arcuate confronting clamps hinged at oneend to the casing head, yieldable means connecting the other ends ofsaid clamps, a packing unit shaped to surround said inner pipe andadapted to be lowered with the pipe to seat in the casing head and closethe space between the casing head and inner pipe, co-acting means on thepacking unit and clamps efiective to spread said clamps, upon loweringof the unit to permit said unit to seat on said seat, interengagingmeans on the casing head, packing unit and clamps arranged to beinterengaged when the clamps are closed about the casing head andpacking unit to secure the packing unit in the casing head.

2. A casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe, clamp means hinged on,and shaped to surround, the casing head, all in combination with apacking unit in the casing head shaped to surround the pipe and to belowered with the pipe into position to close the space between the pipeand head, means normally holding the clamp means closely around thecasing head, co-acting means on said unit and clamp means effective toactuate the clamp means into position to permit the packing unit to moveinto said closing position upon such lowering thereof, means on thepacking unit and clamp means which normally interengage to secure saidunit in the head. said holding means being yieldable to permit the clampmeans to open to efl'ect the release of theinterengaging means wherebythe unit may be removed from the head.

3. A casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe, clamp means hinged on,and shaped to surround, the head and having an upwardly flared portion,all in combination with a packing unit adapted to be secured around saidpipe and to be lowered into-the casing head to close the space betweensaid pipe and head, yieldable means normally holding the clamp meansclosely around the casing head, said packing unit having an external,downwardly tapering face arranged to engage said flared portion tospread the clamp means to permit the unit to seat in the head, means onthe packing unit and clamp means arranged to be interengaged, by saidyieldable means, upon the seating of the unit in the easing head.

4. In a casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe, a packing unitcomposed of a plurality of segments, means to secure said segments aboutsaid pipe, clamp means hinged on, and adapted to surround, the casinghead and interengaging means carried by said clamp means and packingunit respectively shaped to permit the packing unit to be lowered intothe casing head and adapted to interengage to secure the packing unit inthe casing head, co-acting means on the packing unit and clamp meanseffective to spread the latter upon passage of the former downwardlytherethrough and means adapted to maintain said interengaging means ininterengaging relation and being yieldable to permit the release thereofwhereby the packing unit may be released from the head.

5. A casing head shaped to receive an inner pipe, confronting clampshinged at one end on,

and shaped to surround, said casing head and having grips at their otherends, yieidable means connecting said last mentioned ends of saidclamps, a packing unit shaped to surround said inner pipe and to fitwithin the casing head and close the space between the pipe and head,said unit having an external shoulder, and inwardly extendingprojections arranged approximately centrally between the ends of theclamps and engageable with said shoulder to secure the said unit in saidhead.

ARTHUR J. PENICK.

KIRBY T. PENICK.

